The present invention relates to a method and system of verifying a computer readable file for use in a gaming machine and in particular a method and system of verifying a game file for use in a gaming machine. The invention has been developed primarily for use as an electronic gaming machine and will be described hereinafter by reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention may also be implemented for any type of gaming machine that uses software to implement the game played on the gaming machine, including an electro-mechanical gaming machine.
The following discussion of the prior art is intended to present the invention in an appropriate technical context and allow its advantages to be property appreciated. Unless clearly indicated to the contrary, however, reference to any prior art in this specification should not be construed as an express or implied admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Conventional gaming machines typically involve displaying a game and awarding prizes to a player according to predetermined combinations of game symbols that appear on an array of game squares displayed on a screen, typically organised into three rows and five columns (a 5×3 array). Other arrays, such as a 3×3 or 4×3, may be used. Each gaming machine randomly selects the game symbols that appear on the array, each column of the array being a “reel”.
One type of gaming machine comprises a mechanical or electro-mechanical device, where a motor rotates a plurality of annular rings or drums that form reels. Each reel has a reel strip that displays game symbols in preset game symbol positions. A frame covers the rings to provide a window through which only a subset of game symbol positions (and hence game symbols) were visible to the player. Thus, for a game using a 5×3 array, the window would only permit three rows of five rings to be visible to create the game array. An internal game controller within the gaming machine controls operation of the motor and hence rotation of the reels. Thus, by controlling when each reel starts and stops in its respective rotation, the game controller controls the display of the game symbols in the window. Sensors linked to the reels indicate which game symbols are displayed in the window and communicate with the game controller so that the game controller is able to award prizes based on winning combinations of game symbols displayed on the reels in the window. The game controller typically comprises one or more electric circuits for controlling various functions of the gaming machine, such as the above mentioned control of the motor, communicating with the sensors, verifying that the correct amount of a bet has been made via one or more value receiving mechanisms to enable operation of the motors, controlling any visual and/or audio effects associated with operation of the gaming machine and controlling operation of various alarms to alert any tampering with the gaming machine.
Another type of gaming machine, known as an electronic gaming machine or EGM, replaces the mechanical reels and motor with a video display screen on which video images of the reels are displayed. The EGM has an internal electronic game controller, typically a computer, that controls the display of images on the video display screen so that the reels are visibly spun on the screen to simulate a physical reel of a traditional gaming machine. EGMs tend to be more versatile in providing game information, varying the probabilities for a player to win a prize and varying the type of game that is played.
When games are implemented for play on a gaming machine, a game file is typically uploaded onto the memory storage of the internal game controller of the gaming machine. In the case of an electro-mechanical gaming machine, the internal game controller then operates the electrical circuits that in turn drive the motors to rotate the mechanical reels and operate the sensors. In the case of an EGM, the software loaded onto the memory storage, the electronic game controller controls the images displayed to perform the game on the EGM.
Development of new gaming platforms, especially for EGMs, has permitted the use of higher quality images for display, which means larger image sizes or “slices” of around or in excess of 4 GB. This in turn increases the size of any game file that must be installed in the EGM to implement the game. However, any files received by an EGM must be authenticated or verified before being permitted to be used on the EGM for two primary reasons. Firstly, the game file must be authorised for use under license by the operator of the EGM. Secondly, a game file must be compliant with the specification of the game as approved by regulatory authorities of the jurisdiction in which the EGM is located. The requirement for verification of the files installed in the EGM means that game files have to be processed by the relevant regulatory authority, system provider or venue operator using a monitoring system that applies the authentication or verification software. Where the game file size is significantly large, there may be delays in the verification process or even an inability to verify the game file, since the monitoring system is frequently limited by the processing power and/or memory of the processor(s) used by the monitoring system.
One method of processing a game file, which is typically in the form of a game card (comprising a maths file, graphics file and sound file) involves extracting only the math file and ignoring the associated graphics and sound files to generate the call signal that is processed by the verification algorithm used by the verification software in the gaming machine. This method enables faster processing as the math file is much smaller in size than the graphics file, which is usually the largest in file size. However, this method can lead to corruption of the game card and/or errors. For example, the math file may require a Jack symbol to be displayed but instead due to a reading error, a Jackpot symbol is shown. Errors of this type leading to a mismatch between what game symbols are meant to be shown to what is in fact shown on the display of the EGM results in rejection of the game file, preventing its use in the EGM and require replacement of the game card on the EGM and repetition of the verification process by the monitoring system, incurring additional expense.
Also, different EGMs may use different maths files and different algorithms, presenting a constant hurdle for large file sizes greater than 4 GB. In each case, it would be necessary to change the image slice for each type of EGM to match the file size limit.
Furthermore, older gaming machines have processors or game controllers with lower processing power and/or memory. Hence, these older gaming machines are unable to handle large file sizes, and so are unable to be updated with new games. Thus, there is a limit on the file size for a game file in order for the game to be installed on an older gaming machine.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.